Marissa Alexander is a mother of three, a Black woman, and a survivor of abuse. She is currently sitting in a Florida prison for firing a warning shot into the wall of her house to dissuade her abusive husband from attacking her. Last month, an appeals court overturned her conviction, ruling that the jury received flawed instructions on self-defense.

Marissa Alexander’s case illustrates how abuse survivors are often criminalized and further abused by the legal system.

There's a three-way race for the US Senate in Florida. An unemployed veteran who lives with his father is up against an almost-certain opponent in South Carolina. A candidate in Delaware gets more press for things she said in 1999 than in this race. Two long-time Republicans are running as independents. Two years after the message of "hope" carried in a sweeping victory for Barack Obama, what on earth is going on with the midterm elections?

I'm in Gainesville, Florida for a few days and will be facilitating a Feminism In/Action discussion tomorrow night. Sponsored by the University of Florida's Center for Women's Studies & Gender Research and The Friends of Wild Iris Books
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Friday, 3 October, 7:00 pm
The Atrium at Ustler Hall, UF Campus